


And Then There Was Us

by voltarrrrr



Category: The Hobbit (Jackson Movies), The Hobbit - All Media Types
Genre: Everything is Beautiful and Nothing Hurts, Family Bonding, Family Feels, Family Fluff, Father-Son Relationship, M/M, Post-Battle of Five Armies, Post-War, Tooth-Rotting Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-02
Updated: 2020-07-02
Packaged: 2021-03-05 04:21:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,974
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25038418
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/voltarrrrr/pseuds/voltarrrrr
Summary: Bard and the kids visit Mirkwood to celebrate Mettare. Family bonding ensues.
Relationships: Bard the Bowman/Thranduil
Comments: 2
Kudos: 51





	And Then There Was Us

It was early April, one of King Thranduil's favourite times of the year. To be more specific, it was Mettare - the last day of the year.

For the past few weeks, the elven king's palace had began to become more and more lively again. Preparations for the big feast were being made and while it was true that Thranduil loved those, he certainly was putting even a bit more effort in said preparations this year. Because this Mettare would be a very special one.

Finally both, Bard's and Thranduil's little families would get together at last and celebrate, to hopefully slowly begin to make one out of two.  
This was a matter, oh so dear to both kings who had been together for quite a while now and had decided it was finally time to let everything become a bit more serious.

Not only was it wondeful to have Bard and his offspring at the palace to celebrate the new year with him, no!  
Thranduil would finally get a chance to celebrate Mettare with his beloved son, Prince Legolas, again. It had been many years since that happened for the last time but this year it would be different. The king knew it!

-

It was already afternoon when the visitor's from Dale finally arrived at the palace and while Bard had been a guest in these halls multiple times already, it was the children's first time witnessing the utter beauty of the elven king's home.  
It was clear to tell, by the looks on their faces, that they were stunned by everything around them and little Tilda was barely able to hold still due her excitement and curiosity for this place, oh so new to her young being. They truly never have seen something more impressive than this and they were sure that they never would find a place comparable to this one.

"I welcome you to my home." the soothing voice, belonging to Thranduil himself, echoed through the halls of Mirkwood, as said made his way down from his throne to greet his guests personally.  
A big smile was plastered onto Bard's face as he saw his significant other looking as stunning and flawless as ever.  
He felt like a damn youngling all over again, as if in love for the first time in forever.

Once the two males faced each other, an awkward silence occured. It seemed that both felt unsure how to greet each other, given Bard's kids were watching their every movement, full of anticipation.  
The elvenking was the first to make a move, slightly leaning forward to place a gentle kiss upon the other king's forhead which caused little Tilda to let out an excited gasp.  
Thranduil only chuckled, witnessing said reaction and also seeing his love starting to blush a little.

"I hope you had a safe journey." the Sindar hummed but it seemed that Bard felt a little too overwhelmed still to actually engage in a conversation in an instant.  
Luckily, Sigrid was quick to help her father out and addressed Thranduil on Bard's behalf.

"We did and we appreciate your concern, my lord." She smiled and gracefully bowed in a proper manner. "Thank you for inviting us. We feel very honoured to celebrate with you tonight."

The blonde haired elf smiled kindly and nodded towards Sigrid.  
Bain's only reaction was to stare at his sister, silently questioning where she learned to talk in such a manner.  
Tilda, who had been eyeing the tall king with obvious astonishment in front of her for the whole time, suddenly commented: "You have very pretty hair."

It came to a surprise to everyone, Bard now also finally glancing at his youngest with a raised brow, Bain letting out a small snort and Sigrid worriedly hushing her sister.

But everything that the elf did was a letting out a gentle laugh.  
"I must thank you for this compliment, tithen pen."  
Tilda beamed at the king and happily and chirped "You're welcome!"

He directed his attention back to Sigrid: "And please. You may call me Thranduil. There is no need for titles when around close ones, is there?"  
He then glanced at Bard, smiling at him warmly while he felt the children's surprised looks laying on  
him.

"Now," the elf clasped his hands together, "I am sure you would like to get to know the palace, right?"  
The children nodded eagerly.

"Wonderful. I would be delighted to personally show you around."  
Again, a surprise to everyone but a nice one. Tilda seemed absolutely excited.

"How about you three head off with Galion for now and I will join you in a bit once I've talked to your father for a moment?"  
Once more they all nodded and shortly after a brown haired elf appeared, introducing himself as Galion.

"Aren't you accompanying us, father?" Bain asked before they were about to leave.  
"No, I am sorry." Bard gave an apologetic smile. "I really need some rest from the journey and also already know the palace quite well."  
And it was a great opportunity for Thranduil to get to know his children a bit better.

Once the four of them had all left and the two kings were left alone, they couldn't help but brightly smile at each other.

"I am glad you are here, meleth nîn." Thranduil spoke softly.  
"So am I." Bard replied, raising one hand to carefully cup the elves cheek.  
Said elf leaned into the touch and couldn't help but suddenly start worrying a little.

"I hope I haven't been too forward as to call them close to me?"  
There was genuine worry swaying in his smooth voice.  
"I simply felt it was the right thing to do."

The king of Dale nodded.  
"It was, don't worry."

He then leaned in to place a single kiss onto his lover's lips, knowing quite well that too intimate affection outside their bedroom was something the other still had to get used to.  
But Thranduil smiled and in return placed his own hand atop the other's.

"You should get some rest before tonight's celebrations." the elf hummed. "Go now! I promise to take good care of your loved ones."

Bard couldn't help himself but quickly kiss his better half once more before heading off towards the royal quarters.

-

The royal quarters were a massive and very impressive construct.  
They started off with a big living area which then led to multiple rooms, most being bedrooms, each of them having their own bathroom.  
However, leading from the living area, there was another door which was the entrance to a wonderful bathing area, providing everything one could wish for if they wanted to relax and get themselves fresh in the meantime.

Thranduil of course had made sure that each child of Bard's would get their own bedroom while two others belonged to Legolas and Tauriel. The biggest bedroom belonged to the king himself and would be shared with his partner.

When Bard entered the described living area, he couldn't help but sigh happily at the sight. All of this already felt like a second home and he couldn't wait for his children to feel the same. He so hoped they would.

The king was just about to head to the bedroom when suddenly the door to the bathing area opened and a blonde haired elf stepped outside, dressed in a dark green, silken bathing robe, his slightly damp hair loosely hanging over his shoulders.

The male's gazes met and both seemed slightly confused for a second before remembering who the other actually was.  
To be fair, they used to have only brief meetings during the war so their there was no one to blame for the slight irritation which occured at first.

"Prince Legolas." Bard addressed the elf calmly with a kind smile on his face and a light bow of his head.

There was a short moment of silence before the mentioned elf returned the greeting with a nod. "King Bard."

"Just Bard is fine."

"Then I wish for you to just call me Legolas."

"Of course."

Silence occured again.  
This felt awkward.  
Bard could clearly sense that there was a lot of thinking going on inside the young elf despite him not showing it.

Bard's own thoughts began to drift into a direction of worry. He was unsure what Legolas' opinion on his and his father's relationship was. Unsure if Legolas actually appreciated the king's visit or if he felt like that his private life was being invaded by strangers.  
But at the same time, Bard himself really wanted to get to know Thranduil's son, build up a relationship and just be present for him as was the elvenking to his own offspring.

"I am sorry for disturbing I-" the prince started but Bard cut him off.

"You are most certainly not disturbing me."

"I am... glad." Legolas replied carefully but didn't know what else to say.

Bard reminded himself that he needed to start a conversation to make this work.

"So uh.. how have you been doing since... you know."

"Quite alright."

That was a direct and short answer. As expected.

"That's good to hear."

Legolas nodded briefly, looked down to his bare feet and then back up to the king, making an attempt at an apologizing smile.

"I should probably go and look for Tauriel as she offered me to help... braiding my hair."

Without a second thought Bard quickly offered: "I could help you too."

The surprise was clearly written on the elve's face and Bard himself was surprised too that he had said that without hesitation.

He then added with a grin: "I've got two daughters. I am quite used to it by now."

One could see the hesitation reigning over the young elf, unsure whether to accept or decline the offer and Bard started to wonder if it had been a mistake to make this offer in the first place.

But then, Legolas gave a small nod and proceeded to sit down on one of the comfortable seatings, leaving enough space for the other to sit right behind him, giving him access to his blonde hair. "I would very much appreciate it."

A smile crossed the bowman's face and gladly he sat down aswell, at first simply taking in the sight of the elf's beautiful hair. It looked very similar to his father's but was a whole lot shorter, only reaching the other's shoulder blades whereas Thranduil's hair was as long to reach the king's waist.

Gently, the man ran his hands through some of Legolas' hair to divide the strands. He could feel the prince's posture tense up under his touch but there was no sound of complaint coming from him.

Both men said absolutely nothing until Bard had finished his job. Legolas then thanked him with the slightest bit of a smile and then left the room.

The king of Dale sighed.  
He still wasn't sure what Thranduil's son actually thought of him and it genuinely kept him a bit worried.

-

Mettare was a truly beautiful celebration, Bard had to admit. The palace looked absolutely stunning and everyone seemed to be in a good mood this evening.

"There you are, meleth nîn!" a familiar voice called out to him and in an instant Bard turned around to face an ever so handsome Thranduil, wearing the most expensive looking robes the man has ever seen.

"Please stop staring or I'll get embarassed." the elven king joked as he approached his lover and placed a soft kiss to his cheek.

"I can't help it."

"I can accept that."

"Good."

Both kings grinned at each other and then let out a joyous laugh.

"Let's get going. The celebrations have already started." Thranduil offered Bard one arm and then they started walking towards the gardens.

-

Bard was more than relieved to witness that his kids seemed to have found joy in the celebrations, even finding elvish company to spend time with.

Tilda was running around in the garden with two young elves while giggling joyously. Galion was keeping an eye on them while Sigrid sat at a table, talking to Tauriel.  
And Bain...-  
Bard looked around, looking out for his son.  
Thranduil who seemed to notice, pointed towards the buffet where Bain was just inspecting what was being offered.

"I can tell he's your son." the Sindar spoke which gained him a snort coming from the other male.

They met a bunch of elves, Thranduil greeting each of them, talking for a bit and then heading on to the next.  
Bard meanwhile made a mental note to put by far more effort into learning this language. He felt a bit awkward just standing there, smiling while only grasping on to about five words in each conversation.

Once this was over, the couple found themselves heading over to Galion, watching Tilda play.

"She's a wonderful child." the brown haired elf commented.

"I know." the king of Dale replied, smiling fondly, a hint of pride in his voice.

Noticing how much quicker the elven children were while running around, Bard almost worried Tilda to soon become frustrated as she already struggled to keep up. Once more it was Thranduil who seemed to notice his lover's worry.

"I am sure they will soon adapt to each other. They still have to learn and make experiences."

His words did sooth Bard for the moment being. Tilda had a strong spirit and he was sure that the contact to elves eventually even would have a great outcome to her growth of personality. 

From afar they spotted Legolas. The prince was wearing silver coloured robes, similar to the ones his father liked to wear, just by far more unadorned. Anyone who knew him could tell that he wasn't feeling the most comfortable in those robes but he adjusted just fine.

As he was wandering around the festivities he was greeting a couple of other guests kindly. Tilda and her two newfound friends close by, still racing across the garden.  
It came to the point that the two little elves were able to dodge the prince's legs, Tilda however bumped right into Legolas, falling to the ground.

Watching the scene, Bard immediately let out a gasp, ready and about to head over to his daughter and try to sooth her upcoming hurt.

Much to his surprise, Tilda didn't start to cry. She rather sat on the ground, staring up at Legolas with huge eyes, quite obviously stunned by the elf in front of her.  
Bard watched Legolas talking to her, not being able to make out his words nor the replies of his daughter.  
A few minutes later the elven prince scooped the girl up in his arms with a warm smile and began approaching the two kings.  
Bard's amazed gaze flew over to Thranduil who appeared to be in awe over his son's interaction with Tilda.

As they came to a halt in front of them, Tilda was beaming.

"Dad! Dad, Legolas said he would show me the prettiest flowers around here. May I go with him?"

Legolas himself seemed almost shy, now standing in front of the two kings, carrying Tilda on one hip. His cheeks turning into the slightest tone of red.

"I promise to constantly keep an eye on her. We won't be far away from here." the Prince explained bashfully to Bard.

"Dad you have to allow it!" Tilda whined impatiently.

"I wasn't about not to." Bard laughed gently and smiled as he directed a nod at Legolas. "Thank you, I trust you keep good care of her."

"Of course." Legolas returned the nod and was about to leave again when his gaze locked with the one of his father.

Both blonde elves looked at each other for a moment. Bard immediately noticed the unspoken pride Thranduil concealed deep inside the warmth of his expression.

The elven king reached out with one hand and gently cupped his son's cheek. Legolas leaned into the touch ever so slightly, closing his eyes for a second. The scene was oh so touching to witness but over after only a couple of seconds. Thranduil then also gently patted Tilda's head and spoke a soft: "Have fun!"

Even after the two were gone again, Thranduil still stood there silently, gaze fixed upon the figure of his son leaving.

Bard gave him the time he needed and shortly after placed a caring kiss upon his shoulder while reaching out for his hand to hold.

"Everything alright?" he asked quietly, almost worried.

His mate's head turned to look at him and there was a beautiful smile to be seen on his face.

"Absolutely." he replied and mere seconds later appeared as if nothing has happened, nudging Bard into a new direction.  
"Let us have a look at what the buffet has to offer."

Bard gladly followed lead, his heart beating fast at the breath taking smile he had just witnessed. Everything was just about as perfect as it could be.

"Cute braiding by the way." Thranduil hummed in an amused manner while they were on their way to the buffet.

"How did you know I did it?" Bard seemed surprised that his lover had noticed his son's hair had been braided by him.

"Let's just say that it wasn't as neat as us elves are usually used to see it."

Bard blushed deeply at the indirect critic.

"Legolas didn't seem to mind. He could have changed it easily, you know?" Thranduil continued carelessly, still smiling.  
"It's cute, do not worry!"

The bowman let out a relived sigh, knowing his braiding skills weren't in fact as bad as he thought only a moment ago.

Quickly he placed a kiss onto his lover's lips before tending to the buffet. Both kings smiled.

They knew there were good times ahead of them.


End file.
